This disclosure relates to a method and system for a puzzle game which develops and strengthens visual imagery and cognitive skills necessary to do mathematical manipulations.
Mathematicians use rules to structure their thoughts, but they also explore their thoughts from every possible perspective. Through visual processing, math-oriented individuals manipulate images in their minds. They determine, based on a specific goal, which details are relevant and which are not to solve the problem. Mathematicians use their visual systems consciously and intentionally to organize information and to generate alternatives to complex problems. The study of math is helpful for learning to think in a logical, orderly way about the relationship between things in the past, the present, and the future. Even more directly, math is a precise way of describing patterns.
Patterns are regularities that individuals can recognize. Where no recognizable pattern exists, there is chaos. Pattern recognition allows individuals to communicate knowledge to others in a way that they can understand and use it to create new theories.
Visual imagery, which is the foundation of abstract thinking and mathematics, relates to an individual's ability to translate verbal information into a mental picture. The imaged picture may enable the individual to “see” relationships and to link these relationships to other ideas. Therefore, visual imagery is also the essence of creativity and discovery.
Traditional programs teach math through rules and practice problems, thus reinforcing the concept that mathematical thinking is a verbal process. Most recipients of this traditional training are not able to remember or to apply math to real life situations.